Horse stabling in house denied

THE regeneration agency set up to rebuild run-down council estates in Limerick has denied resettling horses in a house in Keyes Park, Southill.

Cllr Lilly Wallace claimed a house at Keyes Park was given over to a family to keep their horses at Christmas 2007.

She said: “The horses are still there a year down the line.”

Cllr Wallace claimed that regeneration agency staff had told her the horses were still being allowed stabling in the house for the sake of “quiet”.

She said: “The city council (owners of the house) was not even aware that the regeneration people had given over this space. There was no consultation and it was done behind our backs.”

Brendan Hayden who heads the Southside Regeneration Agency dismissed Cllr Wallace’s claims about their involvement.

He said: “The house was never given over to anyone to keep horses there. The storage of cars and vans was the only purpose it was to be used for. A local family approached the regeneration agency about a vacant house next door to them and asked if they could park their cars there. They indicated they would keep the house and its gardens reasonably tidy. We gave no indication whatsoever that they could have horses there,” he said.

Mr Hayden said the house was owned by the city council who could repossess it and demolish it, if the council so wished. He said the council must take action about illegal horses being kept in the area.

Mr Hayden denied going behind the backs of any residents in the area on the matter.